The Marriage Law
by Snape Savvy
Summary: My twist on an SSHG marriage law fic.
1. Owls at the Window

Hello! I would like to take a moment to thank you for the interest you must have had to consider stopping by. My story is an SSHG romance based around the marriage law. Overdone? Perhaps. But I enjoy it so deal. There are a few character modifications in my story such as the fact that Severus Snape is still very much alive. I am also going to assume that his pureblooded mother raised him for the most part and imparted her class based manners in him. Anything else is minor and can be taken up with me via comment. Thank you so very much for reading! I hope you enjoy my very aptly named story "The Marriage Law"

* * *

"This will not go over well at all." Kinglsey Shacklebolt, the recently instated minister of magic muttered to his assistant as he read the order from the Wizengamot. A completely unanimous vote gave him no choice in the matter. _Regardless _he thought to himself _I would have voted in favor of it anyways. _He shook his head once more as he signed his name on a piece of parchment that would affect so many members of Magical Great Britain that he might even have an uprising on his hands. He was in a bind. It was this or watch the population of the wizarding world die out. There was nothing the man could do.

* * *

Hermione sat at the table in the dining room of Grimmauld Place sipping some tea and lost deep in her thoughts. All she could think about were her parents. She wanted very much to bring them back but with revenge hungry death eaters still on the prowl she couldn't risk it. She missed them a great deal but could not do anything about it but think about them. Not thinking about them was always easier. She knew repressing things wasn't wise though. After a few moments of staring blandly at the black family crest that was sitting on a dresser with the china that had been cleaned once they all got settled she stood up, stretching her legs. She hadn't realized how long she'd been sitting. With a long stretch she paced around to get her blood flowing comfortably. She heard a rustling in the kitchen and figured that Harry must be up.

Since Voldemort had been defeated the boy who lived and the brains that helped had been inhabiting Number 12 Grimmauld place until they decided on a path for their finally free lives while the other third of the golden trio was still living with his family in the Burrow. Things were going to change soon one way or another as Hogwarts was opening its doors in three weeks to begin another year of education of witchcraft and wizardry. The trio, and many other seventh years faced a decision. They could either take their NEWTS now and graduate or they could return to Hogwarts for another year and basically become eighth years with special privileges. The decisions for Harry and Ron were already made. Harry would be returning to Hogwarts to both spend time with Ginny and try to figure out what he wanted to actually do with his life. Ronald Weasley had been recruited by the Chudley Cannons as a second string keeper. It was very clear that he was going to test out. That left Hermione.

The brightest witch of her age knew that if she chose to take her NEWTS two years ago she would have passed but she also had no clue where to go and what subject to apprentice in. She felt such mixed emotions. Leaving now was leaving too soon and staying until the end of term would be delaying the inevitable. She was overwhelmed by the decision of what to do. She pushed it to the back of her mind as she greeted Harry.

"Good morning!" The girl said cheerily. She wasn't usually a morning person but she had already had her caffeine fix for the morning and was bright eyed and bushy tailed. Harry muttered back a very unenthusiastic "Morning" it was clear he wasn't in top form yet. Immediately after Harry fell silent they both heard tapping on the first floor window. Hermione went to get the mail, leaving Harry to figure out what he was going to have for breakfast.

What Hermione originally believed to be a single owl turned out to be two. What was more odd was that she didn't recognize either of them. Her heart let out a dull thud when she saw the Ministry seal on them. She always feared bad news from them. She knew it wouldn't be anything regarding their Order of Merlin dividends because those came every three months and they had received it a week prior. She took the letters from the birds and sent them on their way with treats she and Harry kept for such occasions.

She opened the letter as she walked into the kitchen, skimming it. She read a few words that didn't quite make sense together and stopped walking in the hallway to reread them to make sure she got it right this time. And again.

"HARRY!" she called out desperately. Something was terribly wrong. Harry, in pure defense mode, dashed into the hall wielding his wand and ready to battle. He cocked his head sideways when he saw Hermione standing with two pieces of parchment and trembling like a leaf.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, slightly out of breath. It was very clear that he was completely puzzled by the witch's behavior. Instead of answering him, she simply held out what she had just read for his inspection. He read it slowly, out loud. He topped it off eloquently with a "bloody hell".

* * *

I'm sorry! I know it's short! That's just where I needed to end the first chapter! I promise the next ones will be longer!


	2. Running Away

Honestly...I'm posting this directly after my first chapter so I have no clue what kind of reception that got. Either way, thanks for making it this far! I hope you're enjoying it! I'm going to assume that it goes without saying that I do not own any of this...I'm just playing with the dolls. That is all. Enjoy!

* * *

The extended Weasley clan caused an uproar in the burrow. It was the first time that Harry and Hermione had been since the war that Fred had not been on the forefront of everyone's mind and Hermione could not decide what was worse. This was insane. Ginny, Ron, Harry, George, and Charlie were all basically marching around and shouting expletives while Arthur and Molly struggled to soothe them enough to sit them down so that they could all have an organized conversation about the ordeal. After many failed attempts at silencing them Molly took a page out of Albus Dumbledore's voice and used a sonorus loud enough to address a dining hall's worth of people.

"Everyone. Sit. Now." The group were either stunned into submission or on autopilot out of shock. Either way everyone in the cramped room was promptly seated and looking at Molly, hoping for some parental guidance or direction. She deactivated the charm but continued to talk. "Now lets discuss this in an orderly manner." A few of the children started to disagree but she gave them a look that silenced them immediately. It worked for a moment. Then Hermione decided she had enough.

"I'm not going to let the bloody ministry tell me that I have to get married and to whom! We have to undo this!" The desperation in her voice scared Harry and Ron who even during war were used to hearing Hermione being very sure of her assertions. The shaky tone in her voice threw them off. Molly tried to comfort her but was quickly rebuffed. "I'm sorry...I just need some space. I can't..." she said. Molly nodded and Hermione ran out of the house to the apparation point just outside of the wards. With a woosh she was at Hogwarts. She didn't question why the first place she thought to seek solace was the large school, rather just headed immediately towards the Headmistress's office. It threw her off for a moment that the castle was not filled with its usual bustle, she then remembered that only a few of the staff members would be on hand at the moment. She hoped so intensely that Minerva McGonagall would be in her office. Hermione didn't need to be mollycoddled right now. She needed someone who was going to be straight with her and tell her what to do.

She approached the gargoyle and was at a loss. What in the world could her password be? After a few attempts at candies, in hopes that Dumbledore's tradition had been continued, she gave up and summoned her patronus after a few moments of hard focus on how she felt when she heard Harry say the words "he's dead" of Voldemort. The usually playful otter didn't mess around and went right through the walls and up to McGonagall.

Momentarily the Scottish woman appeared. Hermione said nothing, just handed the woman the parchment that she had been clutching with a death grip. McGonagall read it quickly then looked Hermione in the eye "Come to my office dear." she commanded. Hermione complied, feeling numb. Once they were seated at the desk which a deep part of Hermione's subconscious realized hadn't changed a bit, along with the office, since the parting of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. And while Snape was still a teacher, after everything the new, Malfoy-free board of directors for the school decided that he would not do as the headmaster heading the reform at Hogwarts.

"Did you read the whole thing Hermione?" Minerva asked cautiously, being sure to be conscious of her tone. He student was in a precarious situation right now. Hermione nodded.

"How can they do this?" She said, finally starting to break down.

"The ministry can take emergency action to protect our kind, though is an abuse of power." Minerva said, glad to get the emotion out of the girl that was very clearly not present when she first arrived at her office. Tears trailed down the young woman's face as the reality of what was contained in this letter hit home.

_Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, _

_I regret to inform you that the wizarding race is under serious duress. Due to the recent events  
it has become clear that we will take more encouragement to restore our already failing population  
to a sustainable amount. Due to a record shattering number of squibs produced in the past ten  
years and all of the losses of loved ones our kind is at its lowest number in history. The ministry  
has been forced to take action against this oncoming tragedy to save the wizards of Great Britain._

_This action comes in the form of what we are Calling the Marriage Law. This law entails the following:_

_This law affects non-married Witches and Wizards of reproductive age that are sixteen or older._

_You will be paired with a spouse that will give you the most desireable offspring for the continuation  
of our kind via bonding spells. Inquiries about the bonding spells can be directed to our spell department. _

_You and said spouse will be given six months to wed. Failure to comply will result in time in Azkaban  
wizarding prison._

_Contraceptive spells and potions are now banned. Anyone caught casting or brewing said spells or  
potions will be subject to time in Azkaban Wizarding Prison. Spells will be placed on the couple by  
a ministry official at the time of marriage._

_Those subject to the law will be immediately notified of any changes to the law. Copies of the official  
laws may be obtained through our legal department.  
_

_We will be contacting you with your spouse selection in the next twenty four hours. We at the ministry  
would like to officially apologize for such an infringement on your privacy and freedom but we are  
in desperate times. _

_Fare Well. _

The angry side of Hermione wanted to snort at the fact that the ministry couldn't sucker a single person to sign their name on what would surely be a death sentence for those unfortunate enough to end up with lunatics and murders which would no doubt happen. There were many predominant death eaters that had still not been convicted of any wrong doing.

"I'm going to get bloody married in the next six months." she said, beginning to hyperventilate. "I don't even know who the hell I'm going to married to.". She started to cry. McGonagall's motherly instinct only kicked in so far as to murmured an "It will be alright". The older witch was quite in shock herself. This would affect her own students. This would cause an uproar and rightfully so.

"Why did you come here Hermione?" Minerva asked after watching the girl cry for about fifteen minutes and trying to comfort her, never willing to break the physical barrier. It just wouldn't be professional.

"I've got no where else. The burrow is crazy. I don't want to be alone at Grimmauld place. My parents are in hiding. Hogwarts was all I had left." she sobbed, realizing the truth in her words. For once, both of the bright witches seemed at a loss for what to do.

* * *

In the dungeons, a glass of fire whiskey fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand tiny facets on the stone floor, a shocked man loomed over them, staring blankly at a sheet of parchment of his own.

* * *

Okay...it wasn't a TON longer but it was slightly longer! I promise I'll build up chapter length when I get some more of the actual story going.


	3. Making Plans

After an hour of staring blankly at McGonagall, who was quickly penning letters to anyone with influence who would be as opposed to this as she was in hopes of revoking this ridiculous law, Hermione decided that it was time to leave. She quietly thanked the woman for her time and decided to go to Grimmauld Place, still not able to stomach the chaos that was certainly still unfolding there, and not able to face Ron.

Since the final battle she and Ron hadn't really addressed their kiss. There was too much to be done. They needed to mourn and figure out everything. They both assumed that they would wait for each other until the other was ready to bother with it. They had both admitted to themselves that there were no intense feelings there, but they both planned to explore it and see what happened. Today they both realized that there was a very real chance that they would never get to try things out. She handle the imploring looks from his blue eyes. Not yet.

She walked into her home, still not quite sure if this hell was all a nightmare or not. She heard noise upstairs and assumed that it was Harry but drew her wand regardless. War habits died hard. She walked up on her friend who had his head buried in his head sitting on the couch in the library. She sat beside him silently and they allowed their mutual grief for their futures flow. This infernal law changed everything.

* * *

They awoke hours later to the dreaded tapping of claws on glass. What had been an innocent sound previously was now the most menacing thing in the world. They both stared at each other expressionlessly. Neither wanted to get up and face their fates. Hermione decided to get up after the scratching began to be too much to bare. She held Harry's hand, forcing him to go with her. They both held their breaths as they approached the window. Hermione started shaking as Harry opened up the window and allowed the birds through. They mechanically removed the parchment addressed to themselves then ignored the birds. They both stared at eachother some more...willing the other to be the first to leap that giant chasm and see what the future would have in store for them. Harry broke down first and opened his.

_Harry James Potter_

_Our spells have paired you up with a Ms. Ginerva Molly Weasley._

_We will be in contact with you about particulars in a week's time. _

_Fare Well. _

A gust of wind exited the thin boy. A smile graced his face.

"It's Ginny!" he practically laughed with relief. Hermione half smiled for him. The fact that Harry and Ginny got paired together under incredible circumstances gave her hope for her and Ron. Emboldened by her friend's wonderful news, she began to unroll her parchment but was shaking too bad to manage to get it on her own. Harry gently took it from her hands and did the honors. Hermione watched his face as he studied the parchment. Her hope rapidly turned to horror as she watched his face drop.

_Hermione Jane Granger_

_Our spells have paired you up with a Mr. Severus Tobias Snape. _

_We will be in contact with you about particulars in a week's time. _

_Fare Well. _

Time stopped in that moment. A thousand things flashed through her mind as Harry wrapped her in a hug without her response. He didn't receive the hysterical tears that he expected. What Hermione did was much more affecting. She laughed a hollow and empty cackle. It was full of bitterness and disbelief. Harry felt so confused but just kept holding the girl tight, knowing that his best friend was in so much shock at the moment. Harry felt a flush of anger. Anger with the ministry for doing this to Hermione. He tried to soothe the girl who had now fallen silent and buried her face in his shirt. He used his hand to draw circles on her back. After an immeasurable amount of time, Hermione removed her head from his chest.

"You need to go see Ginny." she said.

"It can-"

"No Harry. You need to go to her. Talk to the Weasleys. I'll be fine. I'm going to go talk to McGonagall. I'll see you tonight." she kissed Harry on the cheek and then walked out of the room in pursuit of the apparation point just outside of the door. She opened the door and jumped so hard, automatically casting an immobility spell. A very irate Potions professor was frozen outside of her door. Harry came up moments later to see Severus Snape. Rather than hurrying off as Hermione had suggested, he decided to hang around to ensure that Hermione was okay with the Greasy Git. Though the man had been cleared of all charges once he recovered from the snake bite, Harry still had trust issues regarding the man and he wasn't taking any chances with Hermione.

Hermione seemed to consider leaving Snape there before sighing quietly and flicking her wand to release him from her spell.

"It seems we are betrothed Miss Granger." Snape said softly. Once Harry ascertained that there was no anger and therefore danger to the girl he took off to the burrow to go see Ginny. He knew his meeting with his fiance would certainly be more enthusiastic. Hermione and Snape didn't notice his sudden departure. They were both frowning at one another, letting their thoughts tun wild.

"That it does, sir." she said, not bothering to be intimidated by his remarkable height or black attire. Neither knew what to say to bridge the silence. What did one say when they were being suddenly forced to bond for life with someone they didn't care for one bit. "I..." Hermione started to try to go somewhere but still was at a loss. "Tea?" she said suddenly, realizing that she needed some sort of distraction. Snape? Really? She allowed herself the walk to the kitchen to full on panic. How was she supposed to marry this old man? Rational Hermione had taken a vacation. Snape followed silently. It seemed he was at a loss as well. He watched her as she prepared his tea.

His thoughts bounced between haring the fact that he was to marry the bushy haired know it all who had hated him most of her life which was significantly shorter than his and hating that she was stuck with him. She was so young and vibrant. This was a fate neither of them wanted. The damn war was finally over. Wasn't there supposed to be peace and freedom attached to that? Instead he was just informed that he would be bound to two new masters. The ministry law and Hermione Bloody Granger. He seriously considered why he even bothered fighting. Meanwhile, Hermione was buried in a train of thought all her own.

_How can I marry him? He's my professor. What the hell. He's old. Well he's not that old. We live a long time. But he's old. What will my parents think? How can he ever make me happy? Why? Why? Why? _she wanted to bang her head against the kitchen counter. She instead settled for hitting a mug against it with much more force than required. That noise pulled Snape from his thoughts. They both realized that they were trapped together. As the adult and the more rational one at the time, Severus decided to speak up.

"I say we push this bloody thing as far back as possible in hopes that it will be revoked." He said of their marriage. She nodded blankly. After a few more minutes of silence he asked "Are you planning on testing out of Hogwarts and pursuing an apprenticeship?".

"How can you be thinking straight right now? All I can think to do is bang my head against a wall." she said hopelessly. Her words were not meant to offend and they did not. Severus couldn't agree more. He could have taken that moment to be the responsible adult and discuss what they needed to do right then and there but he instead summoned something stronger than the tea that Hermione was sipping and poured them both a glass. It was going to be a long and awkward night filled with lost dreams on Hermione's part and much disbelief and anger on Snapes. For the moment they both savored the burn as it went down their throats, temporarily numbing everything else.


	4. A Midnight Visit

Thanks everyone so much for the reviews! I'm very grateful! Now that we got the boring part out of the way its on with the story! All of my research said Snape was 38 when he died and that his birthday was in January. The final battle occured in May so I'm starting this fic in August. Term starts in September.

* * *

After silently sipping their drinks for some time, Hermione, either bored with the silence when she had so many questions or emboldened by the whiskey in her cup spoke up.

"How old are you?". She studied his face for the reaction to her question. He didn't flinch or dodge the answer.

"Thirty eight." It was his turn to study a face. Hermione's was blank. She had suspected as much. The muggle born part of her wanted to flinch. A twenty one year age difference in that world would be cause for massive talk and with the way muggles age it'd be, frankly, kind of disgusting. In the magical world ,however, it was not at all out of the ordinary. There were age gaps of fifty years in some of the witches and wizards she had met. After a few moments she just nodded to give him some sort of a reaction.

"I'm seventeen." she said.

"I know." He answered. Hermione heard disgust in his voice. She didn't question it. This whole situation was worth all of the malice in the world.

"Do you live at Hogwarts year round?" she asked next, surprising herself that she was able to keep this conversation as calm as it was even with the help.

"No. I have a house in Scotland that I go to during the summers." he said. They both seemed at a loss. This was such an unsettling situation that the man known for his wordsmithery was unable to keep conversation flowing. Of course, he was trying to keep a handle on his tongue. Upsetting the girl would serve no purpose right now. Hermione gulped down the last of her fire whiskey and without waiting to be asked Snape fixed her another helping and then topped off his own. He didn't care that she was drinking too fast. He just wanted to get through this night, to have some sort of direction to take things in. This felt pointless but also like it had to happen at the same time.

"How did you know I would be here?" she asked next. This question was easier. It didn't give her visuals of some life where she was married to Severus Snape, bat of the dungeons and carting around a bunch of raven haired babies.

"Everyone in the order knows the whereabouts of the golden trio." he said. It seemed she was out of questions so he decided to ask one "Will you be returning to Hogwarts?" he asked. She shrugged flippantly.

"I don't really have a choice now, do I? You and I both know we're going to have to live together. But yes. I'm going to return as a student." Usually she would have launched into a speech about the merits of continuing her education to defend her decision but it wasn't required here and she didn't feel like she could manage it.

"That'll be bloody inappropriate." He snarled. His anger finally shining through. This called hers to attention immediately as well.

"It's not like I'll enjoy it any more!" She yelled. They were both conscious that their respective rage was due to the law but couldn't help taking it out on each other. They both waited for the other to say something more by way of an argument but were met with a silence that was broken only by heavy breathing.

"I don't know you at all." Hermione said. That was a sobering truth. She knew that he was fighting on their side all the time, she knew that he had been in love with Harry's mom, she knew that both of his parents were dead and thatbr made an obscene amount of money marketing potions that he created. That was the extent of what she knew about the man who she was a going to have to spend the rest of her life with. That's how it was in the wizarding world. When you married your magic bonded you to your partner. That kind of thing was permanent.

"Looks like you have the rest of your life to learn." the tone in his voice was purely defeated. She frowned at this.

"Did you think you'd ever marry professor?" Hermione asked. Snape's face contorted. Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

"Please call me Severus. I can't deal with a wife who calls me professor seriously." she nodded.

"I guess you should call me Hermione then. Miss Granger won't really be appropriate any more will it?" Severus just shook his head. It was in that moment that Hermione realized she had never seen the man look more human. There was something comforting to her in the fact that he was just as out of his element as she was.

They both reached for the fire whiskey at the same time, bumping hands. The were no sparks of affection or repressed feelings. Just a mutual need for more alcohol. Severus grabbed the bottle and poured some for the both of them.

"I think we need to go talk to the headmistress at some point to discuss how this will affect Hogwarts." he said.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"A professor and student haven't had any public involvement since-"

"1873." she cut him off.

"The know it all prevails." Severus said with lack of emotion. A_t least he's not being mean _Hermione thought as they both stood to head to Hogwarts. Hermione stumbled as ashe drew her wand. It was then that Severus realized that she was a lot more sensitive to intoxication than he was. "Don't apparate on your own. I've given you too much to drink." he said while they made unenthusiastic progress towards the exit. _  
_

Hermione opened the door and crossed her arms, waiting for him to yank her and innitiate the unsettling tug of side along. Instead he gently grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him to the school. She landed off balance and crashed into a brick wall named Severus Snape. He stood perfectly still while she righted herself. When she had a firm purchase on the ground they began towards the castle.

Hermione found herself here for the second time in twenty four hours. She wasn't sure what time it was. It was either very late or very early. Either way, her senses were on alert as completely as her drunken state would allow. Snape eyed her, his lumos charm illuminating both of their faces. He hoped she wouldn't be a danger in her inebriated state. She finally resheathed her wand when they reached Minerva's office.

"Bowtruckle" Severus said softly. The statue granted them access. After climbing the stairs it was clear that the Headmistress was getting some sleep. Severus walked up to a door at the back of her office and knocked firmly. A moment later a frazzled McGonagall came out, wearing a tartan sleeping robe, hair falling down her back in soft waves instead of her usual strict bun.

It was unsettling for Hermione to see her professor in such a state. It was at that moment that she reallized something huge. Hermione would have to see Professor Snape in much, much less. Wizards and witches were required to consummate a marriage or it would be invalidated. She almost passed out at the thought, then shoved it to the back of her mind. She couldn't bear to think of it.

"What are you two doing here?" She asked, puzzled. Realization dawned on her when she noticed the scent of firewhiskey on Severus and the swollen puffy face of Hermione. "Oh dear." she said.

"It seems we might have an issue on our hands Minerva?" Severus said calmly.

"There's not much i can do in way of this law Severus. I've been in contact with the members of the wizengsmot that I believe can be swayed and a few others but I'm afraid this might be a permanent action. I will do my best." she promised.

"I was referring to the issue of Miss Granger and I." he said stiffly, As if he was ashamed that the ministry had put him in such a position.

"If i can not call you Professor you're not allowed to pull that Miss Granger shite." she asserted. He nodded, exhalec, and corrected his error, losing his handle on his temper once again.

"Hermione, are you planning on returning to Hogwarts as a student?" the older witch questioned her.

"Yes. It appears that I'll be living here anyways." She answered. The deadened tone in her voice rang through the air.

"You could always commute, or even persue an apprenticeship with one of the teachers. You still have options." Minerva said softly.

"No teacher at Hogwarts has taken on an apprentice in my lifetime." she said, correcting the headmistress.

"You have almost all of the professors here wrapped around your wand. Short of divination I think it is safe to say you have your choice of subjects."

"Really?" Hermione questioned. Minerva nodded yes. Hermione took a moment to absorb this information. "Even the transfiguration professor?" she said staring at the woman in question.

"I would be honored." Minerva said. Hermione forgot her current misery and beamed at the woman who would become her mentor.

"Do you consent to that Severus?" Minerva asked formally. Then turned to her protege! Noticing the look of outrage on her face. "As an engaged witch you will require permission from your intended to begin a new career. It is an ancient and outdated law but a law none the less." Hermione frowned but stayed silent. Her life was now completely in the slender hands of the man she and her friends andmost of the wizarding world for that matter had spent so much time loathing.

"I do so consent." he hoped that her snap decision would be one that brought her happiness because it sounded like she was commited now.

"I know this is a lot for you Hermione. Why don't you go home and make sure this is really what you want in the morning beforre we move forward? Goodnight Hermione, Severus. Lets meet at noon tomorrow so we can discuss things soberly. I imagine you two have quite a lot to talk about as well."

They said their goodbyes and Hermione was eternally grateful that Minerva McGonagall was in her Life. The woman had both slowed down Hermione's frantic thoughts about her iUpcoming nuptials and given her a purpose that she could look forward to.

When Hermione realized that Severus intended to take her back to Grimmauld place she ensured him that she was fine to apparate now. He ignored her protests and kept walking towards the gate.

_It's nice that he's making sure I get home okay at least. _she thought right as she was transported to what would not be her home for much longer.


End file.
